2024-09-07 10:45:02
Guy Beahm, better known as Dr Disrespect, returned to YouTube to angrily deny claims that he sent explicit messages or images to a minor, saying he “shouldn’t even be banned” from Twitch in a lengthy statement in which he called the messages “banter” and claimed that the user was “over the legal age of consent.”
Beahm was visibility agitated as he responded to the claims that he sent inappropriate messages via the platform’s Whispers function, taking aim at the media who reported on the accusations and claiming that it was a coordinated campaign against him. He also claimed that Cody Conners, the former Twitch employee who initially revealed the reasons behind Beahm’s ban on Twitch, “wasn’t even involved” in the process in an expletive-laden rant in which he claimed the case was “settled professionally.” (Disclosure: Conners briefly worked at IGN in 2011)
“You know, you don’t know sh*t and it was obvious from your tweet,” Beahm claimed. “You didn’t have any firsthand knowledge about my dispute with Twitch. You said that I got banned from Twitch because I was sexting a minor through Whispers messages? Do you even know what the legal definition of sexting is? I do. And yeah, I used Twitch’s Whispers, but I wasn’t sexting anyone.”
He went on to deny that he met up with the individual he messaged at TwitchCon. “Let’s set the record straight: I never intended to meet this user ever. We never made plans to meet at TwitchCon or anywhere else, and in fact, we never met in person ever.”
Beahm’s message came amid his first stream since June, which took place on YouTube and was titled “The Truth.” He was responding to claims that he had been banned from Twitch because he sent explicit messages to a minor via Whispers in 2020. A former Twitch employee told Rolling Stone in June, “There was no confusion. Messages sent after this was acknowledged were no less graphic and in sexually explicit nature than before, and I think more than the categorization of ‘leaning too much in the direction of being inappropriate’ might indicate.”
In a statement originally posted to X/Twitter after the initial accusations, Beahm acknowledged that the messages occurred, but said “I’m not perfect, but I’m not predator” and that “nothing illegal happened.” It followed his ousting from Midnight Society, the studio he helped co-found, which happened soon after Conners came forward on X/Twitter. The statement was subsequently deleted. This was the original statement.
THE TWITCH BAN
Hello, I’d like to make a quick statement..
Lets cut the fucking bullshit, as you know there’s no filter with me. I’ve always been up front and real with you guys on anything that I can be up front about, and I’m always willing to accept responsibility… which is why I’m here now.
First and foremost I do want to apologize to everyone in my community as well as those close to me, my team, and everyone at Midnight Society Game Studio.
A lot of people have been left in the dark about what happened yesterday with midnight society and I, and we made the painful decision collectively, to have me step down. Our team is full of incredibly talented and good people that have high career ambitions and families and i’d never want jeopardize the culture we have carefully crafted.
Everyone has been wanting to know why I was banned from twitch, but for reasons outside of my control, I was not allowed to say anything for the last several years. Now that two former twitch employees have publicly disclosed the accusations, I can now tell you my side of the story regarding the ban.
Were there twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more. Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration regarding a civil dispute with twitch and that case was resolved by a settlement. Let me be clear, it was not a criminal case against me and no criminal charges have ever been brought against me.
Now, from a moral standpoint I’ll absolutely take responsibility. I should have never entertained these conversations to begin with. That’s on me. That’s on me as an adult, a husband and a father. It should have never happened. I get it. I’m not perfect and I’ll fucking own my shit. This was stupid.
Now, with all this said, don’t get it fucking mistaken, I’ve seen all the remarks and labels being throw around so loosely. Social media is a destruction zone. I’m no fucking predator or pedophile. Are you kidding me? Anyone that truely knows me fucking knows where I stand on those things with those types of people. Fuck that. That’s a different level of disgust that I fucking hate even hearing about. Don’t be labeling me as the worst of the worst with your exaggerations. Get the fuck outta here with that shit.
But I think I’ve said what I needed to say regarding the ban itself. That’s it. That’s why twitch made the decision in 2020.
To my team, community, industry friends that have supported me, I apologize, I wish I could’ve said all this sooner. You guys have always showed me and my family love and support throughout all these years we love you guys like you can’t imagine. I have the fucking best community and circle. If any of this has made you uncomfortable, I get it. You don’t have to support me anymore but just know you have always been greatly appreciated.
But trust me when I say this…to all my haters that live and breath social media with zero real life experience, I don’t give a fuck about you.
Finally, if you’re uncomfortable with this entire statement and think I’m a piece of shit, that’s fine. But I’m not fucking going anywhere. I’m not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago. I’m taking an extended vacation with my family as mentioned on stream and I’m coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders.
They want me to disappear… yeah fucking right.
Apparently responding to the Rolling Stone article, Beahm said, “They reported on all of this based on leaks from two former Twitch employees, one of whom was supposedly on the trust and safety team. If these anonymous sources worked on the trust and safety team at the time of my Twitch suspension in 2020, then you would hope they would tell the truth, but apparently that’s just too much to ask. If these former trust and safety team members — and by the way, I know exactly who they are — actually had firsthand knowledge, then what they conveniently left out is one, Twitch’s trust and safety team, the same employees that decided to ban me, internally admitted that the Whisper messages were not sexting. And two, Twitch’s trust and safety team, the same employees that decided to ban me, internally acknowledged that the Whispers did not constitute child sexual abuse material.”
Beahm claimed that neither he nor the recipient of the messages were interviewed, and that the case was not escalated to law enforcement. He alleged his former partner manager at Twitch, who he did not name, was responsible in part for getting him banned.
He went on, “I’ll say it again: neither I nor the Twitch user exchanged any sexually graphic messages or images. Cody Conners and these other anonymous sources are trying to paint a picture that I was exchanging sexually explicit messages with this Twitch user. That never happened. I even used the word ‘inappropriate,’ purposely, and look at how it was defined by everyone, champs, huh? Including these defaming articles….We’re talking about allegations that Twitch made against me as a half-baked reason for justifying their actions of suspending and shutting down my channel. Allegations that Twitch made without even a legal analysis of whether the whisper messages were illegal.”
Ultimately, Beahm did not apologize, mocking the suggestion during the stream of releasing the messages he sent to the public, saying, “What are we in second grade?”
IGN has reached out to Twitch for comment. Beahm’s YouTube channel remains demonetized, but he says that he plans to reapply on September 25.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
